Description
Verbena officinalis var. grandiflora| Common Verbena ‘Bampton’
Named for the public garden in which it was discovered in Devon, United Kingdom, ‘Bampton’ Verbena is a unique perennial with a loose, informal habit that features small, serrated, dark purple-green foliage and wiry burgundy stems that consistently produce tiny spikes of lavender-pink flowers throughout the summer season and into fall, forming a natural looking, airy clump. By the end of the season the effect in mass is cloud-like. Perfect for cottage gardens, and will happily tolerate dry conditions and coastal locations once established. They make exceptional container specimens too, and are rarely cultivated in the US.
Verbena Bampton flowers are attractive to butterflies and beneficial insects, and are moderately deer-resistant.
While we’ve had some luck germinating Verbena seeds with heat, humidity, and light, they typically do not like heat to start, or too much light, so to improve germination rates its best to give Verbena seeds a short cold-stratification period, or a period of variable temperature swings changing from cold to warm with a light and dark cycle. This can be accomplished by putting seed trays on a cold basement floor for a day and then under warm lights for a day to mimic spring-like temperatures.
Type: Perennial
Sun exposure: Full sun
Mature height: 2-3 ft
Mature width: 12-18 inches
Hardiness zones: 6-9